TV commentator Skip Bayless has doubled down on comments he made Thursday regarding Dak Prescott's depression, saying they were misconstrued.
On Friday, Bayless was given the opportunity on "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed" to address comments he made the day prior that he had "no sympathy" for the Dallas quarterback after he opened up about his issues with depression. He claimed Dallas was looking for Prescott — whose issues began with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and were exacerbated by the April suicide of his older brother — to be its CEO.
Bayless was roundly criticized for his take, which many considered obtuse and outdated in a landscape that places greater emphasis on mental health. Bayless, however, said he only meant that Prescott should have looked for help with his depression as soon as he was aware of it; he also said his comments referred only to Prescott's depression as it related to the pandemic. He made no mention of his older brother, Jace Prescott.
Ok I’m done with Skip Bayless. He didn’t apologize and actually justified his dangerous mindset. What an absolute joke pic.twitter.com/w7h13wiCmo
— Fuzzy #OurTribe (@fuzzyfromyt) September 11, 2020
MORE: Bayless has 'no sympathy' for Dak Prescott after Dallas quarterback opens up about depression
"I want to reiterate some points I made yesterday on the show about Dak Prescott and the depression he discussed. As I strongly stated, I have great compassion for anyone suffering clinical depression, which is very real. If you are suffering from any form of depression, please seek help. And this is the final point, one I'm told was misconstrued by many: The only Dak depression I addressed on yesterday's show was from an interview he taped with Graham Bensinger. Dak said that depression happened soon after the pandemic hit, early in the quarantine. I said yesterday, that if Dak needed help for pandemic depression, he should have sought counseling then. And again if you are suffering from any form of depression, please seek help."
Regardless of Bayless' aim or intention, his comments suggested that Prescott, by opening up about his own issues, did not exemplify proper leadership. The backlash prompted Fox Sports to issue a statement in support of Prescott, adding that the network did not agree with Bayless' opinion:
"At Fox Sports, we are proud of Dak Prescott for publicly revealing his struggle with depression and mental health. No matter the cause of the struggle, Fox Sports believes Dak showed tremendous courage which is evident in both his leadership on the Dallas Cowboys and in his character off the field. We do not agree with Skip Bayless' opinion on 'Undisputed' this morning. We have addressed the significance of this matter with Skip and how his insensitive comments were received by people internally at Fox Sports and our audience."
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones seemed to share that sentiment on Friday in an appearance on Dallas radio show 105.3 The Fan. He commended Prescott for opening up about his depression, saying it was an indicator of his leadership — not a detriment..
"This is such a humanizing aspect, to see Dak this way. So humanizing. Anything else doesn't have much substance to it, frankly — any commentary, an assessment," Jones told The Fan. "Dak's talking about real, real, real life and inner thoughts. The other stuff, the static outside, just pales in comparison to Dak's message."
